Commentary: The Futility of a Mexico-United States Wall

Filiz Garip, professor of sociology, writes in this Reuters op-ed that building a wall is symbolic and will not stop or slow down illegal immigration. She argues that simply increasing spending on immigration enforcement is not an effective immigration policy, as the factors that result in increased immigration are largely beyond the control of any one nation like the United States.

"Historical evidence suggests that increasing enforcement is not always an effective deterrent of undocumented migration," Garip writes. "It can introduce new threats to the border (more deaths for migrants and more involvement by criminal organizations), and can keep migrants in rather than out."